Sole attaching apparatus



Dec. 31, 1935.

J. T. LANCASTER SOLE ATTACHING APPARATUS Filed Dec. 30, 1952 4Sheets-Sheet l Dec. 31, 1935. J. T. LANCASTER 2,026,391

SOLE ATTACHING APPARATUS Filed Dec. 50, 1932 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Dec. 31,1935. J. T. LANQASTER 2,026,391

sow uncume APPARATUS Filed Dec. 30, 1952 4 Shets-Sheet 3 Dec. 31, 1935.

Filed Dec. 30, 1932 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 as s A A 2% I! 2a; a a as L 4/ Q@14/ VE/V 717R.

lamina!"pa; 31, 1935 PATENT OFFICE 2,023,591 sou: 'ar'racmnc APPARATUS 7John T. Lancaster, Newton, Masa, assignor to United Shoe MachineryCorporation, Paterson, N. 1., a corporation of New Jersey ApplicationDecember 30, 1932, Serial No. 649,520

10 Claims.

This invention relates to sole attaching apparatus, and is herein setforth by way of illustration with particular reference to apparatus forapplying sole attaching pressure to an assembly consisting of a lastedshoe and a sole which are to be attached to each other by cement.

The illustrated embodiment of the invention has been developed withespecial reference to the problem of supporting the sole extension andpreventing it from becoming rounded bythe at taching pressure in themanufacture of shoes in which the sole is larger in its forepart than ithe corresponding portion of the bottom of the last and, consequently,extends beyond the periphery of the shoe. A typical example of such asole extension is found in a man's ordinary welt shoe, wherein the weltandsole extend outward beyond the lasted upper and require mechanicalsupport during the cement sole attaching operation, not only to preventthe sole margin from becoming rounded but also to cause the weltand soleto be pressed together with sumcient force to ensure adequate bonding ofoneto the other. The invention, therefore, is particument of soles towelt shoes, but its utility is not limited exclusively to welt work norto cement attachment, since it. may be employed advantageously inconnection with any shoe having a sole extension, whether welted or not,and-without regard necessarily to the particular method by which thepermanent attachment of the sole is effected.

It is an object of the invention to provide improved apparatus of simpleconstruction which shall be capable of effectively and accuratelysupporting a projecting welt or sole extension against the pressurewhich is applied when a sole is attached by the cement process.

The invention is illustrated as embodied in pressure applying apparatusfor a sole attaching machine in which is incorporated a sole extensionsupport a side portion of which is arranged to be removed far enoughfrom operative position to permit a shoe to be inserted sidewise andpositioned easily, combined with means for moving said support betweenoperative and inoperative positions.

The sole extension support may comprise a plurality of relativelymovable members which together conform to the outline of the forepart ofa shoe, and portions of said support which engage opposite sides of theshoe may be geared together for simultaneous equal and oppositemovement, about axes extending longitudinally of the 'partly inlongitudinal sectionfof a simple form to inflate or deflate the pad.

shoe, toward or away from operative position or, alternatively, only oneside portion of the support may be arranged to swing outward to providea free space for sidewise insertion of a shoe, while the other isnormally stationary and serves, in '5 addition to its supportingfunction, as a shoe positioning gage. v

The invention further contemplates, for a sole attaching machine, asimple and effective selfcontained pressure applying unit in which are10 combined a pad box, a pressure pad in the pad box, a yoke arrangedover the pad and supported by the pad box, and a sole extension supportmounted upon a toe rest. which is also sustained by the yoke, and, sinceit-is desirable that the 15 toe rest be slightly yielding in order toavoid marring the shoe being operated upon, the support may be arrangedto yield correspondingly,

to the end that proper relation between the toe rest and the soleextension support shall be maintained during the application ofpressure.

The foregoing and other features and advantages of the invention will bebetter understood and appreciated from reading the following detaileddescription of a specific embodiment and a modification thereof inconnection with the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a view,partly in side elevation and of pressure applying apparatus embodyingthe invention; I

"Fig. 2 is a cross sectional view upon the line II-II of Fig. l;

Fig. 3 is a view partly in side elevation and partly in longitudinalsection of a modified form of the invention; and

Fig. 4 is a sectional view, similar to Fig. 2, upon the line IV--IV ofFig. 3.

In the embodiment of the invention illustrated in the drawings It)indicates a pad box, prefer- .ably of metal, containing an inflatablepressure .pad l2 which, as shown, comprises a rubber ba l4 which isfluid-tight and is encased by a cover It which may be of leather orother suitable material. It will be understood that provision will bemade, in a manner well known in the art, as by a valve ll, for admittingand allowing the escape at will of water or compressed air, in order Ayoke I8 is supported by the pad box It, be- 50 .ing preferably rigidtherewith, and extends through the entire length of the pad box abovedepend from the yoke. It will be apparent to those skilled. in the artthat when a lasted shoe and an outsole are assembled upon the pad I2,with the toe portion of the shoe beneath the toe rest 20 and the cone ofthelast beneath the heel rest 22, and the pad is inflated the sole willbe pressed closely upon the shoe.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, wherein is shown one embodiment of a soleextension and welt support, 28 and 30 indicate a pair of meshed gearsegments which are secured to arms 32 and 34 respectively mounted uponpivots 36, 38 for opposite, transverse, swinging movement abouthorizontal axes extending longitudinally of the shoe 40 which is shownin pressure applying position.

The arms 32, 34 support the side portions 42, 44, respectively, of asole extension eng in support which, as a whole, may be considered asconsisting of the two elements 42, 44 taken together. When the parts arein operative position, as illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, the soleextension engaging portions 42, 44 conform substantially to the shape ofthe forepart of the shoe and are vertically immovable by reason of thefact .that their pivotal supports 36, 38 are mounted in the toe post 24which in turn is sustained by the rigid yoke I8.

Each of the work engaging elements 42, 44 has a face 46 adapted toengage the upper face of the sole extension or welt of the shoe andsupport the same against upward pressure, and a vertical face 48 adaptedto engage the edge of the outsole 50 of the shoe and of the welt 52, ifthere is one, for the purpose of securing proper positioning of the shoeelements with respect to each other and to the pressure pad I2.

The arm 34 is provided with a handle 54 by means of which it may beswung outward and upward to a position remote from its operativeposition to permit the shoe to be inserted sidewise without impediment.In this embodiment of the invention both side portions of the soleextension support are swung outward simultaneously equally andoppositely by reason of their connection through the gears 28, 30.

In order to provide for shoes of widely different sizes or shapes, theelements 42, 44 are mounted upon the arms 32, 34 in a manner to permittheir ready removal therefrom and the substitution of other similarelements of different contours. As shown, this is accomplished by pins56 threaded into the removable elements and having circumferentialgrooves near their outer ends in which engage retaining latches 68 whichmay be easily swung aside to permit the sole extension supportingelements to be readily detached from their mountings.

Referring now to the modified form of the invention illustrated in Figs.3 and 4, wherein the same reference characters are used to designateelements which are common to this embodiment of the invention and thatillustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, the rear side portion 42 of the soleextension support is, in this case, normally stationary, only the frontside portion 44 being arranged to be swung outward.

Here the toe post 24 carries a pair of stationary horizontal studs 60disposed transversely of the pad box and constituting guides forslidable carriers 62 which sustain the parts of the sole extensionsupport.

Also mounted in the toe post 213, but freely rotatable therein, is aright and left screw 60 endwise movement of which is prevented bycollars 66 pinned to the screw at opposite sides of the toe post.Threaded upon the right and left threads of the screw 64 are two nuts88, I0 having flanges I2 which are received in slots cut in lugs I4extending upward from the carriers 82. 5 Set screws 16 serve to securethe flanges I2 firmly to the carriers 62 so that rotation of the screw64, by means of the hand wheel I8 which is secured thereto, will causethe carriers 82 to be simultaneously and equally adjusted toward or 10from each other. Under some circumstances. however, it may be desired toadjust one carrier with its attached sole engaging member independentlyof the other and this may be readily accomplished by loosening the setscrew I8 of the 16 carrier which it is desired to adjust and thenturning the nut 88 or I0, as the case may be, while holding the screw 64against rotation. When the desired independent adjustment has beensecured the set screw I6 may be tightened 20 and the offset relationproduced by the independent adjustment will be preserved duringsubsequent equal and opposite adjustments which may be efiected byturning the screw 84.

The front carrier 82 has bearings 38 in which 25 is joumaled a shaft 82extending longitudinally of the shoe 40 and having secured to it ahandle 84 by which it may be rocked. A series of sleeves 66 whichsupport the work engaging element 44 are secured rigidly to the shaft 82so that when the shaft is rocked the element 44 may be swung outward andupward to provide a free space to permit sidewise insertion of the shoebeneath the toe rest 20.

In order to permit the sole extension support- 86 ing element 44 to belocked either in operative position or in an elevated inoperativeposition, notches 88 are provided in a stationary disk 80 surroundingthe shaft 82 and held against rotation by an arm 92 having its endanchored by a 40 stationary rod 64 which extends from the front portionof the yoke I8 to the toe post 24. A spring pressed latch pin 96slidably mounted in the handle 84 is adapted to engage in either notch88 and to be retracted by a finger-oper- 45 ated lever 98 to permit theshaft 82 to be rocked, all as clearly shown in Fig. 4.

The rear carrier 62 is provided with a series of sleeves I 00 which arelike the sleeves 86 and are rigid with the carrier. The work engaging 5elements 42, 44 are carried by rods I02 which are vertically slldable inthe sleeves 86, I00, and upon the upper ends of which are threaded nutsI04 by means of which the positions of the rods in the sleeves may beadjusted, stiff springs I06 55 being interposed between the lower endsof the sleeves and the work engaging members to support the upwardpressure upon the sole extension or welt of the shoe. The rods I02preferably fit very loosely in the sleeves 86, I00 in order that 50 thelongitudinal tilt of the work engaging element may be varied somewhat byadjustment of the nuts Illfi.

Inasmuch as it is desirable that the toe rest 20 be made of materialwhich will yield some- 65 what in order to avoid marring the shoe. thestrength of the springs I06 is so selected that the welt support willyield correspondingly, to the end that the proper relation between thesupport and the shoe shall be preserved when pressure is applied.

Inasmuch as the toe post 20 is stationary, means may be provided foradjusting the heel rest 22 to lasts of different sizes. Referring toFig.3 the heel post 26 is carried by a slide I08 75 movable uponlongitudinal guides Ill formed upon the yoke II, an adjusting screw 2being provided for eifecting adjustment longitudinally of the yoke andthe pad. The heel rest 22 is vertically adjustable with respect to thepost 26 by means of a right and left screw III, a guide pin H6 beingprovided to prevent rotation of the heel rest. This simple arrangementpermits the heel rest to be adjusted both longitudinally and verticallythrough ranges sumcient to accommodate the difierent lasts to be used.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent of the United States is:-

1. Pressure applying apparatus for a sole attaching machine, comprisinga sole extension support conforming to the forepart of a shoe, saidsupport having a sole extension engaging side portion adapted to beremoved far enough from operative position to permit a shoe to beinserted sidewise, and means for moving said side portion betweenoperative and inoperative positions.

2. Pressure applying apparatus for a sole attaching machine, comprisinga sole extension support having oppositely movable side portions whichtogether conform to the forepart of a shoe and which are geared togetherfor simultaneous movement from operative position to positions remotetherefrom.

3. Pressure applying apparatus for a sole attaching machine, comprisinga sole extension support conforming to the forepart of a shoe, saidsupport having a side portion adapted to be swung outward and upwardabout an axis extending longitudinally of the shoe to provide a clearspace for the insertion of the shoe, and means for varying the positionof said axis transversely of the shoe.

4. Pressure applying apparatus for a sole attaching machine, comprisinga sole extension support having opposite side portions which togetherconform to the forepart of a shoe, each of said side portions beingadjustable transversely of the shoe independently of the other, combinedwith means for effecting simultaneous equal and opposite adjustment ofsaid side portions toward or from each other.

5. Sole attaching apparatus, comprising a pressure pad, a toe rest, soleextension supporting members one of which is fulcrumed upon a horizontalpivot and arranged to engage the sole extension when in operativeposition, and means for swinging said member about its pivot to aninoperative position remote from the pressure 5 pad, to permit thesidewise insertion of a shoe between the pad and the toe rest.

6. Pressure applying apparatus for a sole attaching machine, comprisinga pad box, a pressure pad therein, and a sole extension support 10conforming to the forepart of a shoe, said support being sustained abovethe pad and comprising a normally stationary side portion constituting acombined sole extension support and shoe positioning gage and anopposite side portion 15 which is outwardly movable to a sufllcientextent to aflord free access to the pad for sidewise insertion of a shoeto a position determined by said ease.

7. A self contained pressure applying unit for go a sole attachingmachine comprising a pad box. an inflatable pressure pad in the pad box,a rigid yoke arranged over the pad and supported immovably upon the padbox, a slightly yielding toe rest fixedly supported by the yoke, and a25 correspondingly yielding sole extension support disposed around thetoe rest.

8. Sole attaching apparatus, comprising a pad box, an inflatablepressure pad in the box, a yoke fixedly mounted on the pad box andextending 30 over the pad, a sole extension supporting member conformingto the forepart of a shoe movably mounted upon the yoke, and means formoving said supporting member transversely of the pad from an operativeposition over the pad to an inoperative position remote from the pad.

9. Sole attaching apparatus, comprising a pad box, an inflatablepressure pad in the pad box,

a toe rest arranged over the pad and supported in fixed relation to thepad box, and a sole extension support mounted upon the toe rest.

10. Sole attaching apparatus, comprising a pad box, an inflatablepressure pad in the pad box, a toe-rest arranged over the pad andsupported in fixed relation to the pad box, and a sole extension supportmounted upon the toe rest, said sole extension supportcomprising sideportions which are oppositely movable transversely of a shoe upon thepad.

JOHN '1'. LANCASTER.

